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Washington - A three-star general active in the search for Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein has told religious audiences that the war on terrorism is a battle between a "Christian army" and Satan, and that Muslims worship an "idol" and not a "real God."

The comments by Army Lt. Gen. William "Jerry" Boykin conflict with repeated statements by President George W. Bush that the war on terrorism is not a war against the Muslim faith, yet top Pentagon leaders yesterday refused to criticize Boykin and cited his "outstanding" 30-year military record.

"At first blush, it doesn't look like any rules were broken," said Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Boykin made some of the comments to Christian church audiences while in uniform, which Myers said is allowed in certain circumstances.

A spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations called Boykin's comments "ill-informed and bigoted" and asked that he be reassigned.

The comments were first reported by the Los Angeles Times and NBC News, which aired videotaped speeches by the general, an evangelical Christian.

In January, Boykin recalled a conversation with a Muslim fighter in Somalia who had said that Allah would protect him from U.S. forces.

"I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol," Boykin said.

In June, Boykin said, "The battle that we're in is a spiritual battle. Satan wants to destroy this nation, he wants to destroy us as a nation, and he wants to destroy us as a Christian army."

Boykin yesterday refused to comment.

Boykin was appointed deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence in July, overseeing efforts to provide better intelligence against "high-value" targets such as bin Laden and Hussein. He is a former Army Special Forces commander with a long history in covert operations and counterterrorism.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he did not know whether he would investigate the comments.

Middle East experts feared Boykin's remarks will fuel suspicions in the Arab world and drive religious extremists and Arab nationalists together in Iraq.

"This is a terrible time to be supplying ammunition which helps bring together and thereby strengthen these extremists, " said Richard Murphy, a former ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

-----

ok general... you and me... outside right now!

and imagine the heat he'd be under if he was talking about any other faith besides Islam.
yeah... you know the one I'm talking about.

-----

on the flipside....

A senior Democratic member of the House of Representatives, Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, asked Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to discipline Boykin.

"I urge you to reassign or reprimand him; we cannot afford to have such an extremist speaking on behalf of our nation and our military," Conyers wrote in a letter to Rumsfeld.

"This is a critical policymaking position, and it is outrageous that someone who holds such extreme, closed-minded, zealous views would be allowed such a prominent position in our military," Conyers added.

Washington - A three-star general active in the search for Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein has told religious audiences that the war on terrorism is a battle between a "Christian army" and Satan, and that Muslims worship an "idol" and not a "real God."

The comments by Army Lt. Gen. William "Jerry" Boykin conflict with repeated statements by President George W. Bush that the war on terrorism is not a war against the Muslim faith, yet top Pentagon leaders yesterday refused to criticize Boykin and cited his "outstanding" 30-year military record.

"At first blush, it doesn't look like any rules were broken," said Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Boykin made some of the comments to Christian church audiences while in uniform, which Myers said is allowed in certain circumstances.

A spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations called Boykin's comments "ill-informed and bigoted" and asked that he be reassigned.

The comments were first reported by the Los Angeles Times and NBC News, which aired videotaped speeches by the general, an evangelical Christian.

In January, Boykin recalled a conversation with a Muslim fighter in Somalia who had said that Allah would protect him from U.S. forces.

"I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol," Boykin said.

In June, Boykin said, "The battle that we're in is a spiritual battle. Satan wants to destroy this nation, he wants to destroy us as a nation, and he wants to destroy us as a Christian army."

Boykin yesterday refused to comment.

Boykin was appointed deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence in July, overseeing efforts to provide better intelligence against "high-value" targets such as bin Laden and Hussein. He is a former Army Special Forces commander with a long history in covert operations and counterterrorism.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he did not know whether he would investigate the comments.

Middle East experts feared Boykin's remarks will fuel suspicions in the Arab world and drive religious extremists and Arab nationalists together in Iraq.

"This is a terrible time to be supplying ammunition which helps bring together and thereby strengthen these extremists, " said Richard Murphy, a former ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

-----

ok general... you and me... outside right now!

and imagine the heat he'd be under if he was talking about any other faith besides Islam.
yeah... you know the one I'm talking about.

-----

on the flipside....

A senior Democratic member of the House of Representatives, Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, asked Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to discipline Boykin.

"I urge you to reassign or reprimand him; we cannot afford to have such an extremist speaking on behalf of our nation and our military," Conyers wrote in a letter to Rumsfeld.

"This is a critical policymaking position, and it is outrageous that someone who holds such extreme, closed-minded, zealous views would be allowed such a prominent position in our military," Conyers added.